'Disaster Capitalism for Dummies'

In the Online Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch, no less. Paul B. Farrell's been reading his Naomi Klein! Read the whole thing, but here's a snippet:

In one generation America has been transformed from a democracy into a strange new form of government, "Disaster Capitalism." Here's how it happened:

* Three decades of influence peddling in Washington has built an army of 42,000 special-interest lobbyists representing corporations and the wealthy. Today these lobbyists manipulate America's 537 elected officials with massive campaign contributions that fund candidates who vote their agenda.

* This historic buildup accelerated under Reaganomics and went into hyperspeed under Bushonomics, both totally committed to a new disaster capitalism run privately by Wall Street and Corporate America. No-bid contracts in wars and hurricanes. A housing-credit bubble -- while secretly planning for a meltdown.

* Finally, the coup de grace: Along came the housing-credit crisis, as planned. Press and public saw a negative, a crisis. Disaster capitalists saw a huge opportunity. Yes, opportunity for big bucks and control of America. Millions of homeowners and marginal banks suffered huge losses. Taxpayers stuck with trillions in debt. But giant banks emerge intact, stronger, with virtual control over government and the power to use taxpayers' funds. They're laughing at us idiots!

Not just laughing, either, if their behavior is any indication.

So you, me and the other 300 million better get out of denial. America is no longer a democracy. Voting is irrelevant. Best case scenario: We're a plutocracy, a government ruled by the wealthy, the richest 1%, the Forbes 400, the influential wealthy elite, while the other 99% are their "servants." Meanwhile, the inflation-adjusted income of wage-earners has declined for three decades.

Worst case scenario: America's no democracy and as a result of the meltdown and the surrender of our power to Wall Street's new Disaster Capitalism we are morphing into what one WWII dictator called "corporatism," a "merger of state and corporate power," kind of like what's going on now with Goldman Sachs' ex-boss as de facto president.

Yes, a strong charge. But like a lot of our readers, I don't like what's happening to America. I'm a patriot. I volunteered for the Marines. Served four years. Volunteered for Korea. I don't like how our freedoms, rights and value system are being subverted in the name of greed, arrogance, self-righteous intolerance and other false gods.

We know for the last eight years disaster capitalists ignored obvious warnings of a coming meltdown. They apparently planned it. They road the bull, got very rich. Now they have the ultimate disaster capitalist weapons, trillions in tax money, virtual control of government.
That's why I fear we're on the edge of a dangerous line between Wall Street's version of disaster capitalism and a toxic "merger of state and corporate power." The wolf is in sheep's clothing. Wall Street pretends we're a democracy. Yet America more closely resembles the kind of "corporatism" that Laurence W. Britt wrote about five years ago in Free Inquiry magazine.

We adapted his historical analysis of 14 key traits for today's discussion. Notice how they have a huge impact your investments and retirement....

Yeah, go read the 14 key traits. Reminds me of the checklists we developed to compare the Bush regime to the Nazis, back in the happy, innocent, pre-2006 days when we thought that Bush was the problem and electing more Democrats was the solution.

NOTE Via Anna in Comments at the Sideshow.

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Glenn Greenwald on Bill Moyers' Journal on Bush; then Jordan --

Emma Coleman Jordan -- on the Big Shitstorm and building of Big Shit Pile.

Link

Glenn on right now, but available on web or rebroadcast (in most areas). He talks fast and says a lot, sort of like his writing!

Also covering Republic Windows a bit, in intro to Emma Coleman Jordan. Oh--Republic is shutting down the Chicago plant, which has union labor, at the same time they're opening a non-union plant in Iowa. Damn! So Bank of America was only part of the reason for closing the Chicago plant. There oughta be a law!

More than half the Paulson Fix funds have been used to pay dividends to stock holders!!! Grrrrrrrr.

Can't find the link to play Moyers

Though I did find an older Coleman show, which is great.

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi

Apologies--web broadcast must go up after regular broadcasts?

Under Watch, last week's program came up, the one with Feingold.

Do try to see this week's Emma Coleman Jordan piece--she's dynamite--and a bit more concise than Glenn.

The clips of Kachkari's most recent appearance before Congress were priceless. She holds both Congress Critters and the Treasury Banksters accountable. Her objective is economic justice. Love this woman.

She thinks public demand for accountability will affect Obama: He will be held accountable as well. I just love her!

Moyers closing with critique of FCC Chairman Martin and Tribune owner Sam Zell. Zell got a waiver to biu the Tribune. Clip form public hearing. This week, scathing report on Martin's tenure, titled Deception and Distrust.

God, how can we keep up? Martin has offered to stay on into the Obama administration to "ease the transition." Thanks but no thanks, says Moyers.

For more on Republic Windows and Doors,

see Darren Hutchinson, who has been looking behind the all-too-convenient narratives for a few days now with Howler-like skepticism.

The Democrats: a roach motel for progressive energies

- VastLeft